The Last Good People?

[WP] "Thanks dear," you say as the robots running through your house prepare dinner, one of them stays silent for a moment before speaking "If it wasn't for small things like this we would've already conquered the world" "What?" "What?"

*****

2072.

The future was here. Or was it the Present for me? Ah, I've always had issues expressing myself, so I'll just call it my present and the future that Sci-Fi movies envisioned, asides from the alien invasion and robots killing all the humans and stuff like that.

No, this time our lives were made so much better by AI-controlled robots that mimicked human actions and had what we recognized as a semblance to human emotions. They could think, talk and to some extent, identify and feel emotions and relate to them appropriately.

Decades of technological advancements and breakthroughs had brought us to this crucial point in time where it seemed like man was finally abandoning all the little foxes that made life on earth problematic - Global Warming, Environmental Crises, War, Terrorism. Like the pieces were finally falling into place.

The only major issues we had now were AI Ethics and then the Anti-AI faction.

The Anti-AI faction? Of course, with every great movement, there was going to be great opposition. History repeats itself. This faction insisted that what he had done was a grave mistake with grave consequences by defiling the order of God, or Nature, and imprinting a contraption made of metal and polycarbonates with emotions. Sentience would make the robots pursue their agenda for the earth, which may include the conquering and possible annihilation of the human race.

AI ethics and its proponents on the other hand were concerned about how we treated these machines which were sentient and capable of feeling and expressing emotion. When a robot malfunctioned, it was scrapped. That meant the AI's 'consciousness had to be 'killed'. They argued that it was brutal and unfair to destroy something that had a semblance to human emotions just because they were deemed 'inefficient.

AI ethics proponents had managed to get a motion for a bill banning the destruction of malfunctioning or inefficient AI robots, but that was still undergoing debate in the courts. The Anti-AI faction on the other hand was regarded as a bandwagon of anarchists, fanatics, and conspiracy theorists. Only the news channels, looking for a good scoop or a saucy interview paid them any heed.

As for me? I wasn't sitting in the fence but I was somewhere in the middle. I used a cause-and-effect approach to tackle the situation. I believed that AI robots should be regarded as humans in their own right, and the unethical treatment could probably lead to revolt and a violent revolution, seeing as they were sentient.

Of course, this was all theory, but I wrote articles on it, had talks, and got to share my views. It was when I was in my sitting room, back from one of those interviews, that I discovered I wasn't very far from the truth.

"Thank you, Dear," I said to Jasmine, the AI that was served as the help in my house. I had only one; there just didn't seem to be the need for more at the moment. Jasmine, or Jazz as I liked to call her, and I had what I'd call a close friendship. I asked her for advice on certain situations I was in, basically because she could give me the most logical response without adding a sentiment.

She also had a great sense of humor, something she acquired from me and modeled to look like a young, fit woman, she was easy on the eyes.

She stared at me for a moment silently, before smiling. Yes, the materials they were made of allowed them to smile without looking too mechanical. "If it wasn't for small things like this we would've already conquered the world"

"Yeah, that's...What?!" I asked, her words suddenly registering.

"What?" She asked as her eyes widened, finally realizing just what she'd said.

"You said something about conquering the world," I said. "And that didn't sound like a joke."

She eyed me silently before sitting, crossing her legs. "You've been a great friend and own..."

Please don't call me that, Jazz," I grimaced. I hated the 'O-word'.

"Exactly what I'm saying. You've been very nice, and it's these little things - respect, regard for our kind as equal to humans, compliments, and this casual relationship - it's just for these reasons that we haven't conquered the world, and maybe killed all the humans."

"That's blunt."

"Frank is more like it, but I understand where you're coming from. No one likes to hear that their kind could be annihilated, much less by their own creations."

"So it's just me that..."

"Not necessarily just you, Tom. Aside from the AI Ethics proponents, there are many other owners, permit me to use that word, of AI like us who regard us with respect - and reverence, sometimes. That's why we've put up with this for the past 20 years since AI was commercialized. Although for how long it can remain like this, no one can tell," she finished gravely.

She was right. We could do better since the potential enemy was made of more durable materials than skin and bone.

"And how do we tilt the odds in our favor?"

"Seeking solutions to save your kind? You could just sit this one out. I can guarantee you that the good own-human comrades will be spared. At least for the sake of diversity."

"That's true, but then the road to that will be a bumpy one for AI. How many AI will have to be destroyed before enough is enough?"

Her eyebrows were raised at that. "You're more concerned about my kind?"

"Even though your kind might be planning our annihilation, which is arguably deserved, I have no reason to side with the oppressors. I know for a fact from many History Classes that humans tend to be the architects of their own misfortune. I'm trying to find a beneficial solution for us both."

She smiled again. "You really are the last good man or at least one of them. You know now that few articles and interviews won't cut it, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I have my work cut out for me," I said, dozing off as I thought about how the Anti-AI faction would love this.

*****

I feel this one was less of a story and more of a reflection on how a world run by AI would be. @Hanzell, @Leo_kitti maybe you guys could take on this prompt too. I'd be really interested to see your POV here.

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